The Snakes remain in ninth place in the nine-team SPHL. They are four points behind Macon for the final playoff spot.

COLLEGE TRACK AND FIELD

CSU men finish first in Cougar Invitational

The Columbus State men's track team finished first in the Cougar Invitational held Saturday at Brookstone School.

The Cougars totaled 172.5 points. Augusta University was second at 103.5, and Albany State finished third at 87. Eleven teams participated in the men's field.

The Columbus State women finished in sixth place with 57 points. West Georgia won with a total of 127.5. Brenau was second at 118, and Albany State finished third at 77.5. Thirteen teams participated in the women's field.

CSU men's winners were: Quincy Smith in the 400 meter dash with a time of 47.99; Cody Mallchok in the 1,500 meter run with a time of 4:01.82; 4x100 meter relay team (Jalen Tolbert, Caleb Williams, Quenton Brantley, Zachary Benjamin) with a time of 42.78; 4x400 meter relay team (Tolbert, Christopher Miles, Isaiah Lay and Smith) with a time of 3:18.13; Peter Bennett in the pole vault with a height 3.8 meters; William Chandler in the javelin with a throw of 49.46 meters.

Western Kentucky wins championship behind Northside alum

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Ventavius Sears (Northside High) led Western Kentucky to its second straight Conference USA Indoor Track and Field Championship on Thursday.

Sears was the high scorer for the Hilltoppers with 31 points. He won two events and finished in the top five in two others.

Sears won the long jump at 7.53 meters and the triple jump at 15.84 meters. In winning the long jump, Sears broke the facility record.

HIGH SCHOOL TRACK

Northside boys second, girls sixth at Drew Relays

HAMPTON, Ga. -- The Northside boys finished second and the girls finished sixth in the Drew Relays at 12 Oaks Stadium on Saturday. Both Spencer teams finished third.

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The Rangers have signed former All-Star shortstop Ian Desmond to a one-year deal, according to a source.

Desmond, 30, will play left field for the Rangers. Texas will lose its No. 19 pick in the June first-year players draft with the signing. The club can retain another compensatory pick (sandwiched between the first and second round) by extending a qualifying offer to Desmond after the 2016 season.

The Rangers are signing Desmond for $8 million, according to a source. As of Sunday afternoon he had yet to arrive in Arizona from Florida. The Rangers are hoping to get his physical completed by Sunday evening so that he can work out with the team this morning. The Rangers and Desmond came to an agreement late Saturday night. The Rangers won't officially announce the deal until he passes a physical.

College Basketball

No. 15 Duke falls to Pitt 76-62

PITTSBURGH -- The whereabouts of Grayson Allen's legs were the least of Duke's problems on Sunday against Pittsburgh.

Two days after being reprimanded by the Atlantic Coast Conference following a second tripping incident in less than a month, Allen kept his feet to himself while scoring 22 points but the 15th-ranked Blue Devils were never in it during a 76-62 loss to the Panthers.

Duke (21-9, 10-6) was outrebounded 39-20, outscored in the paint 24-6 and never led while allowing the Panthers to pull an upset that didn't look or feel like one.

"We just didn't play well and they made us not play well," coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "We might have played great tonight and not beat them."

The Blue Devils trailed 10-0 before the game was 5 minutes old. They drew within 39-32 at halftime but the Panthers (20-8, 9-7) responded with a 9-1 run. Luke Kennard's 3-pointer pulled Duke to 58-48 but Pitt reeled off the next 11 points and the defending national champions spent the final minutes listening to the Panthers' student section roar with delight with a season-defining performance.